erly. "You seem to be a very efficient
tattletale. Or are you going to try to pretend that you weren't the one
responsible for the raid on the college?"

She recognized that she was well in for it. He was not going to play a
game of pretense. Well, she had tried--partly, anyway--to do as Nuwell
wanted.

Very deliberately, she opened her purse, realizing that Dark was
watching her closely, all his muscles tense. She took out a cigarette
case and a lighter, laying them side by side on the table, and he
relaxed visibly.

Maya extracted a cigarette and placed it between her lips casually. She
picked up the lighter and balanced it in her hand.

"I assume that you're not armed, Mr. Kensington," she said.

He shrugged and smiled, revealing strong white teeth.

"Hardly, in this suit," he replied. "I'm glad to see you've decided to
recognize me."

"I am," she said grimly. "Armed, I mean. This is not a cigarette
lighter, but a very efficient and deadly heatgun. You're under arrest,
Mr. Kensington, so I suppose you're having dinner with me whether you
like it or not. Now, do you mind being a gentleman and lighting my
cigarette, since this is not very good for the purpose?"

He looked at her face, then dropped his eyes to the lighter, still
smiling.

"You'd better take my word for it," she advised. "I don't want to kill
you, Mr. Kensington, but I won't hesitate. I'm an agent of the
terrestrial government."

Dark shrugged again. He produced a lighter and leaned forward to light
her cigarette, without a tremor.

The waiter returned with their drinks and an announcement.

"There's a telephone call for you from Mars City, Miss Cara Nome," he
said.

Maya kept her eyes on Dark.

"Can you bring a telephone to the table?" she asked the waiter.

"Certainly, Miss," he replied. He left, and returned a moment later with
a telephone. He set it before her and plugged it in under the table.

Juggling the lighter-gun gently in one hand, Maya picked up the phone.
As soon as she answered it, her ears were assailed by Nuwell's agonized
voice.

"Maya, I can't get up there tonight!" he said. "There aren't any jets
here, and these idiots refuse to bring one in from Hesperidum or Cynia
for me to use. I'll have to come up by groundcar."

Maya sat silent, stunned. It had not seemed too great a feat to her to
hold Dark captive with her disguised heatgun when she was anticipating
Nuwell's arrival within hours. But suddenly she felt li